Being Underestimated

All my life folk have miscalculated me as a whole. There's no need to be alarmed, this post has no intention of morphing into a X Factor inspired sob story where I'll desperately weep out how being deprived of a teddy bear as a child has deeply effected the quality of my existence. In my experience you build a bridge and get on with your life, no matter how poor the deck of cards you were handed. I submit to you a brief example illustrating one of my own personal encounters where yours truly was underrated.

Before I mutate into narration mode I would just like to argue that in this scenario the odds were always stacked in my favour, as my father's parents were born, bred and most likely baptised on rural west of Ireland farm yards. The nearest thing to a city for many years they ever came across was a toilet indoors. Hence, you can imagine what they thought of my siblings and I when we first relocated to their precious village from loud boisterous London all those years ago. I like to think they grew to like us and not just tolerate us as my father suggests.

Rule one of farm life, never label cattle 'cows'. I made the mistake once and almost got my arm amputated.

One day the grandfather and I were residing in their living room watching the evening's edition of Coronation Street. I was roughly about ten or eleven years old and he, well as you can imagine he was much older than that.

Grandfather: "That Charlie lad is a real strong worker, but a proper English scumbag." He often liked to shout abuse at the television, mild racism usually trailed this pastime.

Me: "Eh?" I didn't know how to react, especially considering I was sceptical whether or not he could recall that I was in fact English too.

Grandfather: "That is the second affair he has had, the bollocks likes to keep busy." Filtering out the subject matter to suit the child in the room was something that perchance slipped his mind.

Me: "What are they even building?. That construction site has been fixed there in the middle of the street for ages, it doesn't make sense." It really wasn't bugging me enough to question it as frantically as I did but I wanted to direct the conversation away from where he was set to take it, as quickly as possible.

Grandfather: "This TV show you are watching isn't real life, those men are actors not builders." He was smiling aimlessly at me, clearly underestimating the level of understanding I was at.

Me: "Okay." Of course I knew this was a scripted soap opera I was watching it since I was five years old. I knew about a quarter of the cast's real names. Two weeks earlier I had read which cast members had signed contracts to remain in the show for the next six months and which hadn't been as fortunate. I was familiar with the programme. I was merely pointing out how unrealistic the characters' vocations were. I didn't say anything in the off chance I'd offend him.

Grandfather: "Yes, this is pretend. Coronation Street doesn't have real people." He was speaking morbidly slowly and had turned his armchair to completely face me.

Me: "Ah right, right." It has then dawned on me that I was in fact more tuned in than him. He just accepted whatever he eyeballed as truth. Whereas I was prepared to query how convincing the content I was watching was.

Grandfather: "Here have a biscuit, you are a good ladeen." He used to say the same thing to the sheepdog when it was showcasing good behaviour.

We are all familiar with the story and life of Steve Jobs. I'd struggle to believe anyone who declared that they remember him for being that sacked Apple employee in 1985. He is celebrated for being the man who revolutionised the computer industry and changed the importance of technology in society for the better. Therefore, if you are currently the underdog in your life are you going to let it bring you down? I like to thrive on my adversity and use it to fuel my success. Are you going to be the person to let it wound and deflate you or is there another diamond in the rough ready to soar to greater triumphs and prosperity, I sure as well hope so.